Business Management Thought Leadership Group
About This Group
Chair: Alton Crooks
Vice Chair: Michael Lee
Vice Chair: Tim Frazier
Immediate Past Chair: Robert Akeson
Robert E. Akeson is Chief Operating Officer of Mirae Asset Securities (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Mirae Asset Financial Group, Korea’s leading financial group. Through its various subsidiaries, Mirae Asset Financial Group has invested, allocated and maintained significant quantities of assets. As of 31 December 2016, the group’s asset management businesses had approximately $340BN of total assets under management. Its various broker-dealer subsidiaries and affiliates had approximately $6BN in equity capital. Over the years, Mirae Asset Financial Group has also made a significant commitment to the alternative investment space, including real estate, SOC, PEF and hedge funds. In addition to Korea, the group has offices in 15 markets, including the US, UK, China, India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Brazil. Mirae Asset Securities (USA) Inc. provides prime brokerage, equity finance, correspondent clearing, agency execution, foreign research distribution and corporate access services to institutional investors. Mr. Akeson is well versed in the management, operations, enterprise technology, compliance, risk management, marketing, due diligence, balance sheet and liquidity management aspects of these businesses. His background includes leadership positions with Neuberger Berman, Morgan Stanley, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services and ADP BISG. Mr. Akeson is a frequent speaker on topics related to the hedge fund industry, prime brokerage, market liquidity and Basel III. He is Chairman of the Business Management Interest Group of the New York Society of Security Analysts and a member of the Management Committee of the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable, the DTCC Systemic Risk Roundtable and the Economic Club of New York. Mr. Akeson has also taught Money, Banking and Financial Markets at Molloy College. Mr. Akeson holds an MBA from New York University and a BA from Washington College.
Michael Lee has had a 20+ year career in finance across capital markets, private wealth management and more recently private equity and venture capital. Michael is a co-founder of Sky Lake Partners, a vertically integrated real estate investment management firm, and also a registered representative on the WealthForge, LLC platform. Sky Lake invests partner and client capital in mixed use and multifamily, rent stabilized real estate in New York City. WealthForge is a Fintech broker dealer very active in Reg. A and Reg. D issuance, and 2015 winner of the UBS Future of Finance Challenge. Prior to this, he spent 17 years at Morgan Stanley, where he held several positions in both institutional FX markets and private wealth platforms. His clients included hedge funds, real money and UHNW/family offices accounts. Through his efforts, Morgan Stanley launched the first FX structured notes to the retail system which resulted in issuance in the billions. Outside of the office, Michael is a vice chair for the CFA Society’s Business Management Interest Group and is involved with charitable organizations including Leukemia Research and Aid for Aids. Michael graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a bachelor’s degree in math and economics and is CFA Level II candidate for 2018. Deeply committed to the LSE’s international profile, he is actively involved in the alumni association where he holds the title of US Regional Ambassador.
Tim Frazier is Vice President of Sales with TriNet, Inc., the largest and most trust provider of HR, Benefits & Payroll services to the Asset Management Industry. His clients include some of the world’s most prominent hedge funds, private equity firms, and family offices. In addition to helping domestic Asset Managers, Tim has established an expertise in helping non-US based Asset Managers navigate the maze of US Employment Law, HR Compliance, Employee Benefits, and Compensation Benchmarking. Previously, Tim spent 15+ years working in business finance, predominantly as a middle market lender for Regions Bank and SunTrust Bank throughout the Midwest and Southeast. During his banking tenure, Tim helped to grow Wealth Management Assets by over $200 Million, Loans by $500 Million, while managing a 40+ person team across several different geographies. It was during this time that Tim became more seasoned and adept at HR Compliance while recruiting and motivating high performing banking sales teams. Tim also is a practitioner and has deep financial analysis and underwriting expertise in the healthcare, technology, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. He began his banking career in managing networks of retail branches for Monroe Bank, a local community bank serving Southern Indiana. Tim is also an active investor and advisor to a several unique businesses, include a NYC based Juice Company, an Indiana based E-Commerce site, an NYC based HR app, and a NYC based Blockchain Investment Bank. Tim is currently studying to become a Certified Bitcoin Professional and he is enrolled in a Blockchain Strategy program through the University of Oxford. Tim has completed Data Science certificates from the University of Michigan and he received his Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from Kalamazoo College. Tim has business fluency in Spanish and Portuguese. Tim has been actively involved in several non-profit boards, including The American Red Cross and Rotary International. Tim has also been a long-time supporter of NY Sun Works, Environment America and Startup Weekend.
Alton Crooks, CFA, MBA is a senior financial services professional with 15+ years of experience in trading, investment strategies, and market trends. His broad expertise in financial planning and analysis has accentuated his client relationship management capabilities for high-net-worth individuals. Alton works for Fidelis Capital as a Managing Director where he partners with institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals as well as oversees operations management decisions for the entire firm. His career trajectory also includes serving as an equity trader for EchoTrade and a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. Alton earned his MBA in Finance and Legal Studies from the University of Miami and a B.S. in Finance from Susquehanna University. He holds a FINRA Series 3 license and is a CFA Charterholder.Upcoming Events & Meetings
The Business Management Group will focus on the non-portfolio management issues that typically confront the COO and other leaders within a money management firm, such as how to successfully launch and operate a business. These issues include, business planning, enterprise technology, compliance, market trends, human resources, selection of; fund administrators, accountants, lawyers and prime and executing brokers, etc. A key goal of BMIG’s will be to understand the business and other risks associated with running a money management, while serving as a bridge between the “buy” and “sell” sides.
The need to safeguard against operational risk is ongoing and requires constant manager oversight. Operational due diligence is an in-depth process in which investors assess both the fund’s internal risk levels and risk profiles of outsourced service providers. Operational Due Diligence is a way to expose and nullify potential risks before irreparable harm occurs.
The Business Management Group will focus on the non-portfolio management issues that typically confront the COO and other leaders within a money management firm, such as how to successfully launch and operate a business. These issues include, business planning, enterprise technology, compliance, market trends, human resources, selection of; fund administrators, accountants, lawyers and prime and executing brokers, etc. A key goal of BMIG’s will be to understand the business and other risks associated with running a money management, while serving as a bridge between the “buy” and “sell” sides.
Many academic and industry studies show that the risk-adjusted returns of emerging managers outperform all funds, particularly in the emerging manager’s first 12 months of operations. Professionals who are thinking about launching, getting ready to launch or have recently launched a money management firm should attend to hear our panel.